Heart Vacancy
by Teen-Idol
Summary: A dark past haunts her, isolating her from the outside world. But then she accidentally bumps into him, and everything changes. Even when she tries to stay clear from him, for his sake and her own, he refuses to give up. Not until she's his. Not until he's in her heart.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is the first chapter of the new version of **Open Your Heart** and for some reason I am really nervous to post this.**

**It's more of a prologue, since the original started right off in the present day. This just gives a background of Ally's past and gives you more of an insight of what really happened before she moved to Miami, since I never really got that into it before.**

**I hope you like it, or that it at least isn't as bad as I think it is.**

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><p>Chapter One:<p>

Two Years Earlier

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" The black-robed judge's voice boomed across the room.

"Yes, Your Honor, we have." The foreman answered, rising from his seat.

Ally feels a hand encase hers and squeeze it comfortingly, as her heart drops to the bottom of her chest in anxiety. This is it. The moment that all of the past four weeks have led up to. A thin line of sweat forms on her forehead and her legs begin shaking as she fully comes to terms with what may or may not be about to happen. Her eyes dart over to her mother, who is sitting beside her, a thin-lipped smile gracing her features.

"It's going to be okay sweetie." Her mother squeezes her hand again, knowingly aware of how she is freaking out internally, before turning her attention back to the front of the courtroom.

"Don't worry; we got this in the bag." Mr. Linden, her attorney, assures her.

Ally nods reluctantly, bringing her own attention back to the jury. This is really it. The moment she had been waiting for since this beginning of this whole ordeal when she had finally admitted to her parents the depth of her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend. She couldn't help the shudder that momentarily took over her body as she reminisced to the last argument that they had, ending up with her nursing a black eye, a bruised cheek, an injured head, and a sprained ankle.

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><p><em>Flashback-<em>

"_I don't know why you keep continuing to do this when you know how much it pisses me off." Joe snarled, pacing around the parking lot of the restaurant._

"_What are you talking about? Joe, I didn't do anything!" She protested, trying to follow his pattern._

"_Those are all lies and you know it."_

"_I'm sorry for whatever I did. Just please, don't be mad." She begged._

"_How can I not be mad when you completely humiliated me in front of everybody from school? You know I don't like dancing and yet you wanted to convince me to go out with you on the dance floor and embarrass myself!"_

"_I'm sorry. Baby, I honestly forgot. I just wanted tonight to be special, I wanted to have fun."_

"_That's hard to believe, considering what you're wearing." He snapped._

_Ally looked down at the black dress hugging her body. "What? This dress? You're the one who bought it for me!"_

"_Yeah, because I wanted you to wear it when we went out alone. Not when we're going out to a restaurant with a bunch of other guys in attendance. I know you were trying to get them to notice you."_

"_What? Joe, baby, I swear, I would never do that!" She cried._

"_You act like you're all innocent and sweet, but you're really just a slut."_

_Tears streamed down her face at his words; even though this isn't the first time she's heard them. Still, it hurts. "That's not true. I love you, okay? And I would never try to purposefully upset you. And I definitely wouldn't try to get any other guys. Not when I have you." Her hand went to grab his, but he quickly pulled it away._

"_Lies." She heard him yell before feeling a searing pain over her cheek, making her world go swimming as she is momentarily discombobulated at the strike._

"_I'm sorry." She exclaimed, a hand caressing her face._

"_No you're not; otherwise you would quit doing it." Joe yelled, as she felt another blow come across her face, this time by her eye. She stumbled backwards, breaking off a heel on one of her shoes as her ankle twisted painfully to its side._

"_Please, stop!" Ally pleaded, although she knew it would do her no good anymore. He had reached his limit for the night and there was no way of knowing when he would stop._

"_You're a stupid, good for nothing, lying bitch." He raised his hand to smack her again, causing her to fall to the ground in fear before he actually had a chance to hit her._

"_Baby, pleas-." Her words are cut off with a successful blow this time, as her head hits the pavement hard._

"_I hope nobody finds you." The brown-haired boy hissed before walking away._

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She whispered into the night air, feeling herself getting dizzy from the impact of the blows. "I didn't mean to, I swear." She muttered to herself. Her eyes flutter closed, ready to let the darkness around her conceal her, as voices approached in the distance._

"_Ally! Oh my god!"_

" _Are you okay?"_

"_Someone call 911!" Was the last thing she heard before she passed out._

_End of Flashback-_

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><p>"Sweetie?" Her mother whispered, full of concern, her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Are you okay? You zoned out."<p>

"I-I'm fine." Ally nodded, remembering exactly where she was again.

"Good," her mother smiles, kissing her forehead.

"The defendant may rise." She heard the judge say, as the entire population of the room stood up from their seats, a dead silence filling the room within seconds.

"It's going to be all okay." Her father smiled, leaning over to look at her from the other side of her mother. Although they were divorced, her parents had come together to support her throughout the case.

Ally gave him a tiny smile, turning back to observe the foreman preparing to announce the verdict. Her eyes glanced around the room one more time, landing finally at Joe's, who was standing on the other side of the courtroom. He looked up at her for a second, and she quickly dropped her gaze, a chill crawling up her spine at the momentary eye contact.

The foreman cleared his throat. "We, the jury, find the defendant Joseph Robert Parker, guilty in the acts of physical, mental, and verbal abuse towards Allyson Marie Dawson."

The world seems to slow down, as tears start streaming down her face and she covers her mouth in shock, not thinking she heard the man correctly.

"Ally!" She hears her mother cry out in joy and relief as she embraces her.

"Thank god." Her father exclaims, joining the group hug.

The room's in a spin as the judge orders out the sentence. But she doesn't hear any of it, everything around her not seeming real. It couldn't be happening, but here it was. The moment she had been anticipating and biting her nails off for months. It's really here.

Joe was actually found guilty. He wouldn't be able to hurt her anymore. She would never see him again.

"Thank you." Her father's stating his gratitude to the lawyer and shaking his hand firmly. "Thank you so much."

It was over. It was finally all over.

"It's over." She whispers, hugging her parents back tightly. Not believing that it's actually happened, but also relieved that it is.

"Yes it is. It's finally over." Her mother's crying.

"You did it honey. You sent him right where he belongs." Her father kissed her forehead. "And it's all over now. Everything is going to be better. I promise."

"We can finally move to Florida, and you can start a new life there, with no memories of New York. Just a bright future ahead of you."

She had completely forgotten about both of her parents' plans to move out to Florida. Her father was opening up a new music store in Miami, after the one in here in New York had reached booming success and her mother was going to work as a zoologist at the local zoo. She had been totally lost in the trial, her testimonies, the press, and waiting for the end of it all, that the fact that they were moving had completely slipped her mind.

How was she supposed to up and move all of a sudden and just leave everything behind her? Her friends, the school, the house, her life? Of course the entire trial had been stressful and nerve-wracking, as well as the four months she had spent with Joe, but she wasn't up and ready to leave it all. Would she even make any new friends in Miami? What about the guys there? How would she be able to interact with them? What if there was another one like Joe, and she would be the lucky one to go out with him?

A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but not from joy of the news of the verdict. This was for fear. Another Joe? What if no one would be able to help her? What if he would be worse? What if he would actually kill her, like the many times Joe had threatened to?

It was all too much.

She started hyperventilating, feeling as if she was lacking oxygen no matter how many times she breathed out. It was getting harder to breathe!

"Ally, sweetie, relax. Everything is going to be okay! There is nothing to worry about! You're father's here and I am right here for you, too." Her mother soothed. "Relax. Take deep breathes. We're right here, we are right here sweetheart."

She nodded her head reluctantly, her breathing gradually calming down to a normal rate.

"Are you alright, honey?" Her father asked. "We didn't mean to make you freak out, but we are moving next week, remember?"

"Moving? Next week?" Her voice squeaked.

"Yes." Her parents nodded.

"You're going to have a fresh start, isn't that great?" Her mother smiled.

"Yeah ….It's awesome." She said, a lot less enthusiastically.

It was okay. So what she was going to another state? She could do this. She could so totally do this, right?

"It's a fresh start. No more Joe. No more stress. No more worries. And the best part is, you'll have a lovely view of the beach whenever you feel like going." Her father added.

"A fresh start." Ally repeated, nodding, the words sounding almost foreign to her. "It's going to be a fresh start."

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><p><strong>How was that? I'm sorry that I'm a little out of it. I haven't looked at this story in a while and I need to remember exactly what I was thinking when I was writing every chapter and incorporate that to my new ideas.<strong>

**I'll probably edit this chapter a bit later on.**

**This chapter was a little shorter than the ones I'm used to writing now, but then again it is a prologue. Still, I hope to make the later ones longer and add more details to them.**

**I hope it wasn't all that bad and again, I apologize if it was. And I do hope to hear some feedback from you guys, including any suggestions that you have.**

**Write on my loves!**

**Until next time,**

**~ Hannah**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

_Rinnnnngggggg_

The brunette's hand shot out from under her duvet to silence the irritating sound of her alarm clock. An audible groan was heard from underneath said covers, as she rose from her well-appreciated slumber.

"Ally, honey! It's time to get up!" Her father's all too cheery voice called from the base of the staircase.

"I'm up, I'm up!" She yelled back, shoving her face back into her pillow.

It was another Monday morning, which meant the start of a brand new week of school. But for someone who excelled in academics as much as herself, she did not find herself feeling chipper at all in the mornings.

She sighed, getting up from the comforts of her bed, and sleepily trudged over to her closet, absentmindedly selecting an outfit to wear. She changed into the white tank top, flannel shirt, which she left unbuttoned and light wash jeans, before walking out of her room and descending the stairs to the first floor.

Her father was eagerly awaiting her arrival in the kitchen, having already set up a plate of eggs and a glass of orange juice on the round wooden table. He was already dressed for work, as evident in his tan trousers and red shirt.

"Morning sweetheart." He greeted her, planting a kiss on her forehead as she sat down.

"Morning Dad." She smiled brightly, taking a tiny bite from the scrambled eggs in front of her.

"You up for working at the store today after school?" Her father questioned, taking a seat across from her.

"Sure thing, Dad. You know I never pass down a chance to work." She grinned.

"Great. You feeling okay honey? I just want to make sure since your mother always thinks that I forget to check that everything is okay."

"I'm fine Dad, Everything is great."

"Good. When are you going to Dr. Pearson this week?"

"Friday Dad. Don't worry about it, I won't forget." She rolled her eyes.

"I know sweetheart. Your mother and I just want what's best for you after what happened. You're still adjusting to your new surroundings and Dr. Pearson aids in making that transition easier."

"I know Dad. You always tell me this."

"Alright, I know that it can get annoying, but it's for your own good. I better get going, so I won't be late for opening. There always is a big morning time rush on Mondays."

"Alright, have fun." Ally smiled placidly as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'll call you when I'm on my way after school!" She added as he walked out of the room.

She sighed once she heard the door shut, no longer having to hide under her façade of happiness. Her father didn't know exactly how enjoyable, or rather not enjoyable, school in Miami was for her to attend. She didn't want to tell him or her mother, because she saw how happy living in the city was for them. Besides, the reason they had moved from their apartment in New York City, was for her to have a fresh start, and she didn't want to burden them by forcing them to pick up their belongings and moving to another city on the complete other side of the country.

It would be pretty selfish for her to force her parents to look for another place to live, after how hard it had been for her father to fully establish the store and her mother to get the position as a zoologist. And also since they were spending so much money on making her see Dr. Pearson in order to cope with the past and her new life in Miami.

But on the other hand, she contemplated as she took part in her usual morning routine of cleaning the dishes, cleaning her teeth, and brushing her hair, the entire reason her parents had relocated in the first place was for her to have a fresh start. And what was the point, if she wasn't enjoying Miami that much?

_Buzzzzzz._

Her phone sounded from across the hallway, where her room was located. Ally put down the wooden hairbrush, deciding that her hair looked decent enough, before she rushed over to her desk.

_From Trish:_

_Morning Ally! Just wanted to make sure you were coming in today. I know you don't want to deal with the bozos this morning, but I would really be happy to see your face! You know, since we didn't get a chance to hang out this weekend. _

Then again, there was some positivity of living the city, Ally mused as she texted back her friend. Besides, only certain aspects made her life in Florida less than stellar, and she really shouldn't base her opinion on a few little things, right? It would be pretty foolish on her part.

_From Ally:_

_I was planning on coming anyway. I don't want my father or my mother getting suspicious. I have to keep making sure they don't answer the calls from school, notifying them about my frequent absences from class._

Yes, it was true; she had a tendency of cutting some of her classes. But it was definitely not intentional. She sometimes came in late in order to avoid certain people in the morning. Of course it wasn't the best option, but it was the only one at her disposal. Well, besides facing the chances of having a panic attack or freaking out in front of the entire school body.

Some days she was better off coming in later than usual, instead of taking the risk of having a meltdown.

_From Trish:_

_Good, because I don't know how much more excuses I can make up for you to Ms. Clark when she's taking attendance during homeroom. I'll see you soon._

Ally shoved her phone in her pocket, as she swung her book bag over her shoulder and grabbed her jacket from where it was hanging behind her door.

Realizing she was running late, she ran out of her room and grabbed her car keys before running out of the house.

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><p>"Hey Alls," Trish greeted her by her locker.<p>

"Hey Trish," Ally hugged her best friend and opened her locker to take out her textbooks.

"Glad to see you so early in the morning. I know it isn't easy for you, but I really appreciate it."

"Thanks Trish." She smiled half-heartedly at the short, raven-haired Latina, averting her attention back to her locker.

"So are you free tonight?" Trish asked hopefully.

"You know I have work today, I can't," she replied.

"But all you ever do is go to work and school and home! We never hang out!" Her friend exclaimed. "I don't even remember the last time we hung out that was not during school!"

"I'm just not that comfortable being out in public, Trish."

"So? We could go ever my house or yours. It doesn't matter, as long as we have some girl time! I've waited fifteen years of my life for a girl best friend and I finally got you two years ago, but all you've had to show for it is constant excuses about not being able to do something!"

"I know, and I'm sorry Trish. We can do something this weekend, alright?"

"Oh my god, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The Latina squealed, hugging her and lifting her off the floor. "There's so much we can do! I don't even know what to choose! We could go to the spa, or watch some romantic movie, or have a sleep over, or do all of it! Oh my god, this is so exciting!"

"Okay Trish, calm down before you get a brain hemorrhage or something." The brunette teased.

"Haha, very funny Ally." Trish rolled her eyes. "I'm so sorry that my best friend has actually agreed to do something with me. That's like a one in a million possibility and it's finally happened!"

"Hilarious." Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"You know it's true."

"Yeah, yeah." Ally closed her locker, her books in hand. "Come on, we should get heading to class. I'm sure Ms. Clark will be pleased to see me so early." She turned to the Latina as she talked. The only reason she didn't like coming in early, was because she was a tad bit claustrophobic. It wasn't that serious and she could handle it usually, depending on her mood.

Okay, that was a lie. She wasn't minutely claustrophobic. She was completely claustrophobic, as in being able to totally freak out if a boy just accidentally brushed against her in the hallway.

Her therapist said it was a result of her experience with Joe. It was her mind's attempt at a defense mechanism in order to avoid a situation like that again, but she also said that it would go away the more she got accustomed to being around people, more specifically boys. It would take time of course, but it would also take effort.

Besides, Ally knew she wouldn't be happy to learn of her avoiding bumping into people. Dr. Pearson had already scolded her before over the manner, making her promise to stop doing it. But she couldn't. No matter how many exercises they had practiced during her sessions, she could never apply the skills they had reviewed. It was like the second she came into contact with someone of the opposite sex, whom she didn't know directly, her mind completely forgot everything and she would freak.

Her first option rather than attending the public Marino High School was to go to an all girls' school, but of course her parents, urged by the words of Dr. Pearson, wanted her to interact with boys as well as girls, so there she was, being surrounded with men and at risk of having a panic attack at any given moment if she made too much physical contact.

Thus, she was sort of labeled a freak, because of her manner and behavior around boys. She usually stood as far back as she could and even asked teachers not to partner her up with boys, and they had all understood and cared enough for her wellbeing to comply with the request.

So, things hadn't gone haywire at all since she had first stepped foot into the school almost two years ago, but then again, there was no certainty that they would always go smooth, so she was pretty cautious.

But she had been too preoccupied in her thoughts, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and she was snapped back into reality when she felt herself bump into something, or rather someone.

She fell back, her books scattering across the floor, as she landed on her back.

Looking up at the figure, her eyes widened at shadow. He was clearly a boy, as made obvious by his tall and muscular frame. It was a boy. She had bumped into a boy.

She felt her heart start racing and an eminent attack coming along.

_Breathe in and out. Breathe in and count to three. Then exhale. In, count to three, out._

She could picture Dr. Pearson's voice instructing her to complete the breathing exercise they had practiced in case she ever felt herself about to breakdown.

The other step of the procedure was to distract herself and do something to get her mind off of the interaction until her body calmed down.

Ally quickly looked back down; focusing on collecting her scattered belongings, silently hoping the boy would leave.

"I'm sorry." The masculine voice spoke; as its owner kneeled down to assist her in gathering her books.

The brunette didn't make eye contact, instead hurrying to grab everything else on the floor. The faster she got out of there, the better.

She stood up hastily, readjusting her book bag on her shoulder, before turning on her heels and preparing to walk down the hallway to her homeroom class. However, her hurried movement caused her history textbook to fly out of her hands again. She mentally cursed the heavens as she was about to pick it up.

"Here," the boy caught it right before it hit the floor. He offered it to her.

"Thank you." She answered quietly, hesitantly bringing her eyes to look up at the speaker. It was one of the other skills she practiced - making eye contact. Dr. Pearson said that sometimes looking into the eyes of a boy would alleviate or lessen her anxiety.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she found herself face to face with Austin Moon. Football captain and the guy that nearly every girl in the school was head over heels in love with.

She felt her throat closing up as her lungs were calling out for oxygen. She couldn't breathe. She could not breathe. Her feet were frozen in place as she desperately commanded them to move. The walls seemed to be closing in around her and her head was starting to feel dizzy.

So eye contact was not the best idea, she thought desperately, as she broke her gaze with Austin and concentrated on the floor.

"Are you okay?" The blonde boy asked, clearly concerned for her health. "Do you need to go to the nurse?" His hands clasped her shoulders.

Her eyes glanced down at them, widening at the contact as her entire body seemed to shut down. He was touching her. Austin Moon was holding onto her shoulders.

"Hey, are you okay?" He repeated, sounding more urgent.

Words would not come out of her mouth as she tried to communicate. Her mouth opened, but nothing was spoken or uttered.

Panic seized over her as her eyes dilated and she struggled to take in enough oxygen for her body. His hands felt like they were on fire, burning through her skin.

She couldn't do this. She could not do this. She could not breathe and she could not speak. She was completely frozen and about to have a total meltdown.

"Ally!" Trish's voice sounded so distant and cold.

It brought her back to the last confrontation that she had had with Joe. The one that led up to her parents and friends discovering the truth of their relationship. The Latina's voice sounded just like Jenny's had when her friends had found her nearly the brink of blacking out in the parking lot of the restaurant.

It sent her back to the dreadful night as its events replayed in her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Ally cried out helplessly.

She was snapped back into reality by someone jerking her arm down the hallway. The Latina was pulling her away from the blonde, she realized as they turned a corner and he was out of her line of vision.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Trish asked her as they stopped in front of their homeroom. "What happened back there? You looked like you were about to freak out or something."

"I-I'm sorry. I just got really surprised." She answered, her throat feeling dry as her breathing gradually returned to normal.

"Are you sure? Because that definitely did not look like you were just surprised. You looked completely terrified."

"I-I'm fine Trish, honest. I just sometimes get this breathing episodes in which I feel like my airways are closing and I freak out. That's all that happened." She lied. One of the other upsides of moving into a new state was that she could lie about her life as much as she wanted to and no one would know.

"Are you sure Ally, because if you want to go the nurse, I'm sure Ms. Clark would let us."

"I'm okay. Really. Come on, we should go in before she freaks out on us." Ally said quickly, stepping foot into the room and not giving her friend a chance to reply, as she took her seat in the front.

She didn't want to think about the episode that had just occurred in the hall. It had never been that bad. She could always talk a little bit and make up some excuse to leave.

But she had gotten completely frozen and stuck in fear and terror. She had begun hyperventilating and was even brought back to one of her encounters with Joe, something that rarely ever happened during her attacks.

Maybe it would be a good idea to visit Dr. Pearson that afternoon before she went to her father's store and inform her about what had happened.

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><p><strong>Yeah, so I changed Ally's history up quite a bit, but I think it would fit better to the story than her being bullied. Besides, I would like to explore that side more than I did in the original version, so this story will be a little darker and will take more time for her to establish a relationship with Austin, both as his tutor and later as his love interest.<strong>

**I hope you like it and thank you so much for your reviews on the first chapter. I really appreciate them and I would love to hear what you have to say about this one, because I'm not sure how it will sit with you guys.**


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